National GeographicThe gene is “one of the most powerful and dangerous ideas in the history of science,” argues Siddhartha Mukherjee in "The Gene: An Intimate History." Since its discovery by Gregor Mendel, an obscure Moravian monk, the gene has been both a force for good and ill. In the 1930s, the Nazis exploited the pseudoscience of eugenics as a prelude to the Holocaust. Today, gene therapy holds out the hope of eradicating hereditary conditions like Huntington’s disease and even psychological disturbances, such as schizophrenia.READ MORE

The Wall Street JournalFor many years, studies of traits shared by families have shown that genes can influence an individual’s propensity to violence. But those conclusions derive from statistics. Now we have tools to trace how particular genes relate to brain chemistry and, in turn, to behavior.
This chemical evidence provides a smoking gun — pardon the expression — for the genetic component of violence.READ MORE

The New York TimesGovernment scientists are seeking a million volunteers willing to share the innermost secrets of their genes and daily lives as part of an ambitious 10-year research project to understand the causes and cures of disease.
Those selected to be members of the “precision medicine cohort” will be asked to provide a detailed medical history and blood samples so researchers can extract DNA. They will also be asked to report information about themselves — including their age, race, income, education, sexual orientation and gender identity, officials said.READ MORE

Medical XpressResearchers across the world are keen to understand why some people experience memory decline or diseases like Alzheimer's, while others don't. At AAIC2016, two teams of researchers are presenting findings revealing clues to genetic and non-genetic factors influencing a person's resilience to memory decline and Alzheimer's.READ MORE

Health Information DesignsSpending on specialty pharmaceuticals climbed 18 percent in 2015, compared to an increase of less than 1 percent for standard prescription medications. Despite their effectiveness, specialty medications are under constant scrutiny—reflecting the growing concern of balancing clinical innovation with responsible spending.READ MORE

ReutersAn off-patent malaria drug could help to destroy cancer cells by making them more susceptible to radiotherapy, according to early work that has prompted British scientists to start a clinical trial.
Researchers reported that atovaquone boosted oxygen levels in tumor cells in mice, making radiotherapy more effective against a range of cancer types, including lung, bowel, brain and head and neck cancer.READ MORE

MIT Technology ReviewAt Human Longevity Inc. in La Jolla, California, more than two dozen machines work around the clock, sequencing one human genome every 15 minutes at a cost of under $2,000 per genome. The whole operation fits comfortably in three rooms. Back in 2000, when its founder, J. Craig Venter, first sequenced a human genome (his own), it cost $100 million and took a building-size, $50 million computer nine months to complete.READ MORE

LiveScienceA majority of Americans are worried about scientific advances aimed at enhancing humans' natural abilities, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center.
In the survey, researchers got people's opinions on three emerging medical technologies: gene editing to reduce a baby's risk of disease, brain chip implantations to make people smarter, and synthetic blood to improve athletic performance.READ MORE

HIT ConsultantLook down at your wrist. Are you wearing a FitBit, an Apple Watch, or some other type of fitness monitoring device, like a Jawbone or Garmin? If you do, you aren’t alone. More than 1 in 5 Americans own a wearable fitness tracker, and at least 1 in 10 wears the monitor every day.
In fact, wearable fitness trackers are so popular that 2016 has been declared the “year of the wearable.” It’s not just fancy pedometers that are grabbing attention, though. Other devices, such as monitors for diabetics and kidney disease patients, are also gaining traction as a part of ongoing medical care.READ MORE

Genoptix Medical LaboratoryGenoptix, a Novartis company, is a leading CAP-accredited and CLIA-certified specialized laboratory focused on delivering diagnostic services to hematology/oncology patients and the physicians who treat them.

FierceBiotechResearchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Cytex Therapeutics have found a way to program stem cells to grow new cartilage on a 3-D template of the ball of a hip joint. This cartilage releases anti-inflammatory molecules that help fend off new occurrences of arthritis.
This new technology could result in an alternative to traditional hip replacement surgery and could eliminate the need for joint replacement surgery in some patients.READ MORE

Veterans Affairs Research Communications via ScienceDailyAn infusion of stem cells could help restore proper drainage for fluid-clogged eyes at risk for glaucoma. That's the upshot of a study led by a Veterans Affairs and University of Iowa team.
Researchers led by Dr. Markus Kuehn injected stem cells into the eyes of mice with glaucoma. READ MORE

HealthPayerIntelligenceVarious accountable care organizations have brought better quality reporting and improved health outcomes to their patient base.
What accomplishments have accountable care organizations, providers, and payers reached in their effort to operate value-based reimbursement systems? This is the question that many ACOs are answering today.READ MORE

Hospitals & Health NetworksAccountable care organizations are frequently viewed as a test for the viability of value-based reimbursement models and as a mechanism for influencing market changes — from a fragmented fee-for-service model toward a population health system that rewards outcomes. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services plans to shift 50 percent of Medicare payments to alternative payment models, notably ACOs, by 2018.READ MORE

MedscapeThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an expanded indication for a combination product comprised of metformin and empagliflozin, to allow use of the product in treatment-naive adults with Type 2 diabetes.
The agent is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with Type 2 diabetes when treatment with both empagliflozin and metformin is appropriate.READ MORE

The New York TimesA wave of mergers in many sectors of the economy over the last several decades has significantly reduced competition and hurt consumers. That’s why the lawsuits filed by the Department of Justice and state attorneys general in federal court challenging two big heath insurance mergers were so important.
Antitrust officials say Aetna’s $37 billion acquisition of Humana and Anthem’s $54 billion purchase of Cigna will reduce the number of large national health insurers to three, from five today.READ MORE

Seattle Genetics Announces FDA Regular Approval of ADCETRIS® for Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients at High Risk of Relapse or Progression. Click here to view more information.

Sandoz, a Novartis company, announced today that Zarxio(TM) (filgrastim-sndz) is now available in the United States. Zarxio is the first biosimilar approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the first to launch in the US. Please click here for more information.
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